Dear Reader,
Katie Powner, today’s guest author, lives in rural Montana, where cows still outnumber people. She loves candy and red shoes (especially her Converse All-Stars) and is a mom to the third power: biological, adoptive, and foster. Katie writes contemporary fiction about redemption, relationships, and finding the dirt road home. Her books include The Sowing Season, A Flicker of Light, and her latest title, Where the Blue Sky Begins. Learn more at katiepowner.com.
Katie is giving away five copies of her new book, Where the Blue Sky Begins. Be sure to enter her giveaway in her column.
Welcome Katie, thanks for visiting the book club…
Have you ever misjudged someone?
At the large high school I attended back in the day, Erica was straightlaced and shy. She wore khakis and cardigans and was destined to be an attorney or accountant. I was gregarious and weird. I wore my grandmother's 60s-era polyester suits and played in the band.
We'd never directly spoken to each other. I thought she was prudish and boring. She thought I was stuck-up and annoying. The only thing we had in common was that we were at the top of our class, which is how we ended up at an event together as class representatives our junior year.
We managed to perform our duties at the event while still not really speaking to each other, until the event was almost over. A group of seniors were nearby making plans for the evening, and apparently Erica was listening to them because she muttered, "Ugh. Who would ever want to go to a keg party?"
Well. This got my attention immediately, because I thought she said, "cake party."
"Who wouldn't want to go to a cake party?" I asked, because CAKE.
She blinked at me, and I blinked at her, and by the time we'd straightened out the mistake and shared our love of all things related to baked goods, we had determined to host the first of what would turn out to be many cake parties.
The cake parties would include a competition, we decided. For the first one, we created a ladybug cake. Other entries from our friends included a cake made to look like a turkey sandwich and a spice cake with tootsie rolls in it that was meant to resemble a used litter box.
Prizes were awarded for various categories, such as Best Tasting and Best Presentation, and we had a blast.
Erica and I began to spend a lot of time together after that and developed a meaningful friendship. When most of my other friends abandoned me senior year for late night vandalism and methamphetamines, I was very thankful to have Erica by my side. I only wished we would've become friends sooner.
Have you ever been so sure you knew what someone was like and then found out you were wrong? Did you ever get a second chance with them? Tell me about it at [email protected] for a chance to win one of five copies of my new book Where the Blue Sky Begins, or you can enter just by emailing me to say hello. I look forward to hearing from you!
-- Katie Powner
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
KIDSBUZZ: Click here to discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.
KIDSBUZZ: Two books for the math-loving kids out there (or kids who you'd like to encourage to be math lovers!): SHOW AND TELL! Great Graphs and
Smart Charts: An Introduction to Infographics by Stuart J. Murphy helps kids better understand the world of data and statistics in a completely compelling way; and THE DREGG DISASTER: An Algebra I Gamebook (Choose Your Own Adventure) by Chris Matthews featuring dozens of puzzles and choices as kids ages 11 and up sharpen their algebra and math skills. For a chance to win free copies, talk with the authors, and more, see www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz.
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